Scott Brown's dirty politics bad for N.H.

Tuesday

May 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM

I have been following the Senate race in New Hampshire which has been ramped up by the entry of Scott Brown. I guess any candidate who has the Koch brothers funneling millions of dollars into the state will shake things up a bit, just like when you stir muddy water with a stick: It will definitely cloud the water up and it's definitely still water, but you would not be foolish enough to drink it. Mr. Brown has been getting much press of late, trying to paint himself as an "everyman," a "man of the people," driving around the state in his pickup truck on a purported "listening tour" to find out what the people of New Hampshire really want. You'll have to pardon my cynicism. Let me tell you what I really want, Mr. Brown. Please take a few minutes out of your tour and give a listen.

May 25 — To the Editor:

I have been following the Senate race in New Hampshire which has been ramped up by the entry of Scott Brown. I guess any candidate who has the Koch brothers funneling millions of dollars into the state will shake things up a bit, just like when you stir muddy water with a stick: It will definitely cloud the water up and it's definitely still water, but you would not be foolish enough to drink it. Mr. Brown has been getting much press of late, trying to paint himself as an "everyman," a "man of the people," driving around the state in his pickup truck on a purported "listening tour" to find out what the people of New Hampshire really want. You'll have to pardon my cynicism. Let me tell you what I really want, Mr. Brown. Please take a few minutes out of your tour and give a listen.

Mr. Brown, to say that you are an opportunist and a carpetbagger would be understatement, and I have faith that the people of this state can see through your charade and, at the primary election level, send you back to Massachusetts. Recently it came to light that you used your influence in the Senate to torpedo a bipartisan energy bill that U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., had worked on for three years. This bill would have been good for New Hampshire, providing clean energy and jobs, and if that isn't a win-win in this day and age, I don't know what is. Isn't that what we expect from our elected representatives? I would think, Mr. Brown, that you would have supported this measure, that is, if you truly want what is best for the people of New Hampshire, as you say you do. But what did you in fact do? You called your former colleagues in the Senate, including U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. — who, to her credit, flat-out rejected your overture — to lobby them to vote it down, because you did not want to give Sen. Shaheen a "win," which would bolster her standing in the upcoming election in November. Unfortunately, you succeeded and the bill died on the Senate floor. Dirty politics? To be sure. Good for New Hampshire? Most certainly not.

To the voters of this great state, I am hopeful that we all realize that this is the kind of man who says he wants to represent us because he has our interests at heart, but in truth, Scott Brown is the kind of man who will use dirty base politics and shady back-room maneuvering, no matter who it damages, to serve his own need to get back to Washington, D.C. Once there, he can resume adding to his already well-documented record of protecting big-money interests, big oil, the Koch brothers, et al. Good for New Hampshire? I would not want Scott Brown to get elected dog catcher, much less a United States senator. I certainly don't want him representing me in any capacity.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has been living in New Hampshire since the 1970s. She has raised a wonderful family here, worked here, and her love for the state is beyond measure. Before going into politics she taught school, a job she was passionate about and loved. But she had a higher calling and again, she followed her passion. She has represented New Hampshire in a superlative fashion, and the voters have recognized her honest concern for their well-being by electing her as the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire history, the first woman to be elected governor of the state — for three terms — and the first woman to have been both a governor and a senator.

In my 25-year police career, retiring several years ago as deputy police chief in Portsmouth, I came to know her when she was governor. She was always a friend to law enforcement. She is a caring, giving person who has been a voice for the veterans of this country, and ladies and gentlemen, we need more people like her advocating for better treatment for this country's veterans. The current VA scandal notwithstanding, it is unconscionable the way the nation has treated its veterans. Parades are nice, but it takes more than waving a flag at a parade on Memorial Day. Jeanne Shaheen, while serving on the Armed Services Committee in D.C., has been a staunch supporter of all veterans. Many of our wounded vets cannot speak for themselves. Sen. Shaheen speaks for them. She is their voice. And being a Vietnam veteran with a son currently serving as a naval lieutenant with an F-18 Fighter Squadron, I appreciate that voice. And I will show my thanks by campaigning for her and voting for her come November.

This is the kind of representation we need in D.C. This is the kind of individual who, by her honorable conduct, her willingness to reach across the aisle on the Senate floor, and her tireless zeal in office, has proven herself again and again to the people of this state who keep having the good sense to re-elect her. Come on, New Hampshire! Let's show Scott Brown the door and thank Sen. Shaheen for all she has done for us by sending her back to Washington for another six years. We could not be better served.

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